Dorico 3.0.10 bug fix update and 30-day trial released

We have today released a minor update to Dorico Pro 3 and Dorico Elements 3 that brings nearly 90 bug fixes and improvements. We have also today made available the 30-day trial versions of Dorico Pro 3 and Dorico Elements 3, so if you have been waiting for the chance to try all of the new features in Dorico 3 for yourself, now's your chance.

Trial version

To download the 30-day trial version of Dorico Pro 3 or Dorico Elements 3, you will need to sign in with (or create) your Steinberg ID. The activation code for the trial will then be sent to you by email: do be sure to check your junk or spam folder, as unfortunately these emails do sometimes get directed to those folders. The trial versions include all of the features of Dorico Pro 3 and Dorico Elements 3, including the sound library.

Soft-eLicenser on macOS

In recent weeks a growing number of users have experienced problems running Dorico with the Soft-eLicenser, resulting in the FIle > Export > Audio and File > Export > MusicXML menu items not appearing. To begin with this problem appeared to be limited to beta versions of macOS 10.15 Catalina, but users running macOS 10.14 Mojave and even macOS 10.13 High Sierra have begun to experience the problem. Dorico 3.0.10 fixes this problem, and as such it is especially recommended that Soft-eLicenser users on Mac update to Dorico 3.0.10 as soon as possible.

macOS 10.15 Catalina support

As of the release of Dorico 3.0.10 we are not aware of any problems with Dorico 3 on macOS 10.15 Catalina, and Dorico 3.0.10 is ready for all of the new security features being introduced with Catalina, such as Hardened Runtime and Notarization. However, the impact of these new security technologies on audio-focused applications is as yet not completely known, and we strongly recommend that you check with the manufacturers of all of the audio software, including instrument and effects plug-ins, to check that they have released new versions with explicit Catalina support before you upgrade. Furthermore, we advise that you keep an eye on the Steinberg web site for an official compatibility announcement for all of our products in the coming days for macOS 10.15 Catalina.

In summary: Dorico 3.0.10 is fully supported on macOS 10.15 Catalina, but if you rely on other VST instruments and effects or other audio applications, check with the manufacturers of all of those plug-ins and applications about Catalina support before you upgrade your Mac.

PACE-protected VST instruments on macOS

Another issue encountered by a number of Mac users concerned VST instruments that use PACE Anti-Piracy protection, such as EastWest Play and UVI Workstation. These plug-ins were immediately blacklisted by Dorico 3.0. The increased security of recent versions of macOS, including 10.14 Mojave as well as the forthcoming 10.15 Catalina, means that there are tighter restrictions on code signatures. Dorico 3 and its audio engine are signed and therefore any plug-ins loaded by the audio engine must themselves also be signed. Plug-ins that use PACE Anti-Piracy copy protection technology do not have valid code signatures and thus cannot be loaded. As a temporary measure, Dorico 3.0.10's audio engine and associated components have been updated to specify an additional entitlement that allows plug-ins with invalid code signatures to be loaded, but this is a temporary solution: the manufacturers of these plug-ins will be working with PACE Anti-Piracy to solve this problem in the longer term.

This means that EastWest Play, UVI Workstation and other PACE-protected VST instruments will once again load in Dorico 3.0.10.

Audio engine issues on Windows

Some Dorico 3 users have experienced problems with Dorico hanging when they start playback, or producing no sound on playback. Dorico 3.0.10 introduces a number of fixes that should resolve these problems.

Other fixes and improvements

For a full list of the fixes and improvements in Dorico 3.0.10, please consult the Dorico 3 Version History PDF (9MB). To update to Dorico 3.0.10, run Steinberg Download Assistant, choose Dorico Pro 3 or Dorico Elements 3 as appropriate, then download and install Update to Dorico 3.0.10.

What's next

We are working on a further free update Dorico 3, which we expect to be available before the end of 2019. This update will expand the existing functionality for condensing, guitar chord diagrams, guitar notation, chord symbols, and more besides.